How to Finish the Inside of a 12 X 20 Cabin on a Budget

About: Just a normal guy trying to make it in life .Good paying job but mindless sometimes .I enjoy making things in my garage to keep my mind going .. Its fun making something new but its more fun taking somethi...
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Finishing the inside of the cabin with my budget was a little trying at times.

Step 1: Running the Electric Line

First thing i had to do was to dig a trench 50 feet. Then i Ran 12/2 uf underground wire through 3/4 inch conduit from the panel box in the garage to the junction box in the cabin.

Step 2: Junction Box Illustration

Step 3: Wiring

The 1st picture shows the power wires coming from the junction box to the 1st outlet which is a gfi outlet .
The 2nd picture shows the power from the gfi going to the double switches.
The 3rd picture shows going from outlet box to outlet box from the 1st gfi outlet.

Step 4: Duel Switch Box Wiring Illustration

Step 5: Double Switch Outlet

Here shows the double switch outlet finished
As the illustration shows on step 4 two small pigtails get tied together from the main power coming in . They are screwed to the two bottom gold screws on each switch. Then the 2 black wires coming of each of the power out wires get screwed the the top black screws. Then all the whites get tied together and all the copper grounds get tied together .

Step 6: Outlet Wiring Illustration

Step 7: Outlet Wiring

(Line) Power in wires - The black wire goes to the bottom gold screw .The white wire goes to the opposite side across the outlet on the silver screw . Then the same goes for the (load) side power out wires.

Step 8: Wiring the Outside Light

Tie the two white wires together then the two blacks and then the two copper wires.

Step 9: Ceiling and Wall Boards

With everything so expensive these days Its hard to cover walls with anything that wont break the bank... T -111 plywood will put you in to poor house. Drywall is cheap but It might mold dew to the temperature differences this cabin is going to have . Tongue and groove boards will also put you in the poor house. So the next beast step yet not cheap either are these boards called ship lap boards. The look just like tongue and groove boards but there not . The ends just lap over the other and there is a 45 chamfer on both sides so it looks like tongue and groove when you put them up.
The cost is easy figuring for these boards. I needed 64 boards for the two long walls and 50 for the two 12 foot walls.So 114 boards x 5.00 =$570.00
The ceiling is 12x16 so i needed 50 8 ft boards so that was 250.00 .
2nd picture Shows the starting of the ceiling and the 3rd shows it finished

Step 10: Insulating and Girts

I used 6" R-19 insulation for the walls and ceiling. Then i installed the girts 2 foot on centers.
(GIRTS) are the 2 x 4 's that go lengthwise down the length of the wall that you nail your wall boards to.

Step 11: Wall Boards

Here shows the wall boards being installed . They were cut to 89 1/2 inches.
2nd picture shows cutting around the light outlets and sockets.

Step 12: Extension Jams and Window Trim

1st picture shows cutting the wall boards even with the window studding .
2nd picture shows measuring for the width of the extension jams and the sill plate .
3rd ,4th and 5th picture show the sill plate installed ,then the extension jams and the trim boards installed.

Step 13: Entry Door Extension Jams and Trim

The entry door jams were cut 5 1/4 wide and fit into place . The 2nd picture shows the trim all finished . All trim was cut 2'' wide .

Step 14: Finished Walls and Ceiling

Step 15: Installing Indoor Outdoor Carpeting

This picture shows installing the 12x16 indoor outdoor carpeting.

Step 16: Installing Vinyl Walkway Flooring

1st picture shows i cut out a 2 foot x 6 foot piece of Luan plywood then cut out the carpet underneath it . I then stapled it to the floor.
2nd and 3rd picture Shows the 12 inch square vinyl stick on tiles i used for the walkway .

Step 17: Eden Pure Heater

1st picture shows the Eden Pure heater i bought to keep things all nice and toasty for the weekends.

Step 18: Digital Antenna

Since i bought a 32 inch tv i needed a digital antenna so i could get some local channels. So i bought this Clear stream 2 hdtv antenna.
The 2nd picture shows the antenna mounted on the peak of the roof.
Once i Did a channel search i found i could get about 35 channels and they are so crystal clear !. I am very pleased with this antenna.

Step 19: Finished Inside

here the the finished inside pictures. The futon we had . The the two night stands and tv stand i made a long time ago. So a little by little i will fill it up...

The wood ceiling and walls are beautiful ! Much respect and admiration here, you DID what most people TALK about doing (self included). Even so, definitely take the electrical comments seriously enough to discuss the project face to face with a licensed electrician. No reason to even consider taking a chance with something that extremely important. GREAT JOB !

Why not just a simple, propane-powered camp stove w/ oven attachment? I think Ozark Trail sells a special hood to turn their stoves into ovens, and they're super cheap at your local megamart or camping store...

I'm new to the diy community, but one thing I've learned is that if you have a really tight budget to build a cabin you can use pallets. 99% of the time they are free and usually like new. 1001pallets.com has a lot of ideas and pictures. just throwin that out there for others like me with little to no money